"It gets me a little bit emotional" - Fabricio Andrade reflects on rough life journey to becoming a ONE world champion

Fabricio Andrade has reached the summit of ONE Championship's bantamweight MMA division, but the journey to 26 pounds of gold required overcoming obstacles most fighters never face.

The reigning ONE bantamweight MMA world champion defends his title against Mongolian standout and No.4-ranked divisional contender Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu on the global stage of the promotion next.

Their scheduled five-round war will serve as the main event of ONE Fight Night 38 on Friday, Dec. 5, inside Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the 28-year-old Brazilian took a moment to reflect on the difficult path that brought him from humble beginnings to world championship status.

"Sometimes it's even hard to believe that everything came out right. It gets me a little bit emotional because it was very hard. Never give up on your dreams and keep working hard because it's going to pay off," Fabricio Andrade shared.

For someone who's demolished elite bantamweights with devastating knockouts, the emotional reflection shows that success means more when you've struggled to achieve it.

There were probably moments during his journey where becoming a world champion felt like a fantasy rather than a realistic ambition. Yet through whatever challenge life threw at him, 'Wonder Boy' kept working and believing.

Now, he stands as champion, defending his world title on ONE Championship's global stage, having proven that the hard times don't define you—how you respond to them does.

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Fabricio Andrade eyes another highlight-reel win at ONE Fight Night 38

There's one thing Fabricio Andrade never forgets to pack when he straps on the four-ounce gloves to fight inside the Circle – his devastating knockout power.

And the Tiger Muay Thai martial artist is aiming for another victory inside the distance to end his year with two explosive back-to-back knockouts.

However, the Brazilian striking specialist did admit that he doesn't want to pick a specific round, simply because he wants to get more game time.

"I'm gonna finish the fight. I don't want to pick a round or anything like that because I want to enjoy the fight. I want to see how the fight goes. but, definitely, I'm gonna finish the fight. The belt is gonna stay with me," he told the promotion in the same exchange.

ONE Fight Night 38: Andrade vs. Baatarkhuu will be available to active Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada, live in U.S. primetime, for free, this Friday, Dec. 5.